Villanova, PA – Villanova University has received a two-year grant of $200,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support an interdisciplinary network of scholars exploring the intersection of religion and politics. Vincent Lloyd, PhD, associate professor of Theology and Religious Studies in Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will be a key leader on the project.

Riding a wave of scholarly interest in political theology that itself follows the increasing visibility of religion in public life, the grant will enable the creation of the Political Theology Network, an interdisciplinary hub for exploring the intersection of religious and political ideas.

Villanova University is home to the editorial offices of the journal Political Theology, of which Dr. Lloyd is co-editor. The Political Theology Network will create the infrastructure that will allow the interest in the intersection of religion and politics to flourish in the long term, supporting discussions of political theology in the classroom, in scholarly research and in the public arena. It will build links between theologians, practitioners and humanities scholars.

The Political Theology Network will be hosted by the Villanova Political Theology Project, which is jointly supported by Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Office of Mission and Ministry and Department of Theology and Religious Studies.

“Villanova is particularly invested in discussions of ‘faith engaging culture,’ and scholars across departments engage with questions related to political theology,” said Dr. Lloyd. “Dr. Barbara Wall, vice president of Mission and Ministry here at Villanova, has been particularly supportive of this project, along with College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Adele Lindenmeyr and Dr. Peter Spitaler, chair of our Theology Department. Hosting the Network will further develop this intellectual community at Villanova and beyond.”

Dr. Lloyd is the author of five books. His latest are the upcoming Religion of the Field Negro: On Black Secularism and Black Theology (Fordham University Press, 2017) and Black Natural Law (Oxford University Press, 2016).

Dr. Lloyd is also a co-recipient of a 2016-2017 Australian Catholic University research grant. He will travel to the University’s Rome Center this summer to research an upcoming book on hope with grant co-recipients Linn Tonstad, PhD of Yale University and David Newheiser, PhD of Australian Catholic University.

Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities.

About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenged and changing world. With 39 majors across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of Villanova’s colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.

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Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.